Maintenance

It’s almost been 40 years since we put a man on the moon but for some reason we have not been able to develop a functional packaging system for cereal.

Have you ever become frustrated trying to open a box of cereal? Here’s what I usually experience:

First, it is difficult to open the box. The manufacturers use too much glue on the box flaps which causes them to rip open. This makes the box difficult to re-close later.

Then the inner plastic liner is difficult to open. Many times, it rips causing the cereal to spill into the box and sometimes onto the counter.

Because of the above problems, it’s difficult to pour the cereal. More spillage.

After pouring, there is no way to re-close the plastic liner bag.

Finally, it’s difficult to re-close the box using the cardboard tabs since they don’t work very well and the box lid is usually damaged from opening.

I wonder if the executives at General Foods or Post have ever tried to open a box of their own cereal? There has to be a better way. I don’t think this technology has changed much in the last 50 years!

Someone needs to come up with a new packaging design that actually works. What do you think?

Andy Rooney: Feel free to use this material on your next segment of 60 Minutes.

8 Responses

The solution for the inside of the box of course, is to put the product in ziploc type bags. They are one of the greatest inventions of the last century but still slow in gaining use in packaging. Easy to open. Reclosable. No stale cereal. As for the box, how about the kid of packaging they use for oatmeal (the old fashioned round kind?)

I’m an independent inventor, among other things, and my company has
developed new packaging innovations for cereals and snack foods. All
of the designs are reclosable stand-up bags which will provide the
following advantages: